James Gillis

18 posts by James Gillis:

As a former US Marine, I’m always excited when we get in antique weaponry at the gallery. Not only is the craftsmanship both internally and externally impressive, it shows how quickly and stealthily “disagreements” could be resolved in those days. My how I yearn for those days! This striking set of Pocket Percussion Pistols that […]

The War to End all Wars was truly one that settled little and created much heart ache lasting throughout the 20th century. The hand to hand combat with bayonet charges were common practice, if not standard military protocol affording troops to routinely acquire war booty. At dawn on the morning of Easter Monday 1917 – […]

In 1762, the English Naval Armada captured Havana, holding Cuba for almost a year. It was ceded to Spain in exchange for Florida territory in the Treaty of Paris (1763). The English harvested a tremendous amount of mahogany from the island and from that point forward English furniture manufactured with mahogany was referred too as […]